'Peaceful' electric canal boat hire launches

The electic canal boat can travel all day on batteries

A marina company has launched its first electric hire boat on a Wiltshire canal.

The Great Day boat is moored at Hilperton Marina in Trowbridge and can carry up to 10 people for a full day on the water.

Dave Taylor, technical manager for ABC Leisure Group, said it was "a pleasure to work with the new technology" on the Kennet and Avon canal.

And without a diesel engine, the company said voyages were much more "peaceful".

Mr Taylor said the canal boat uses "advanced" battery technology

In one day, the boat is capable of reaching the bottom of Seend Cleeve locks to the east or Limpley Stoke and the Avoncliff aqueduct to the west.

Mr Taylor says the boat can travel the distance "as long as the batteries are fully charged and are maintained properly".

It is also equipped with a small kitchen, toilet and both a covered and open cabin.

The electric system was developed in parntership with marine propulsion experts Beta Marine and powers both the boat's motor and the electricity used in the cabin and kitchen.

The Great Day is moored at Hilperton Marina in Trowbridge

ABC Leisure Group now has four electric boats operating in its 200-boat fleet.

Mr Taylor said the main challenge to overcome was the amount of power it takes to move a boat through water.

"[But] it's been able to happen because the battery technology is so much more advanced," he said.

The boat uses an electrical power system and batteries instead of an engine

Marketing manager Hayley Hadley said the "lack of the vibration and thud of the traditional diesel engine makes a huge difference".

"It's lovely just being able to hear the noise of the water and the birds," she said.

"[It's] so peaceful."